Ok so I dont know if I'm simply misunderstanding this but from what ive read it seems that lyme bacteria can ONLY be killed when it divides. which is every 12 hours. so does that mean that when you take the antibiotics its not ALWAYS killing the lyme every single time you take a dose. bcuz it has to be caught at that 12 hour period?
also I read that you only really herx during your monthly growth cycles. i think I read somewhere that lyme can only be killed when its reproducing. is that the same thing as dividing. because it says that they divide every 12 hours
I'm real confused. someone please shed some light Posted by jackie81 (Member # 27031) on :
Im confused about that too. I never read that they divide every 12 hours though.
I read that they divide every 4 weeks and that is when they are killed..only when they divide to grow..
Posted by lymegal23 (Member # 28573) on :
^ Jackie! how you doin hun? I tried sending you a private message last week but you never responded. check your mail Posted by the3030club (Member # 21898) on :
either way, it's not like every spirochete in your body is on the exact same reproduction schedule.
Even if a single lyme bacterium divides every 12 hours or ever month or whatever, there's millions in your body that would mean that at any moment a huge number of them are.
Posted by lymegal23 (Member # 28573) on :
...holy crap theres MILLIONS of lyme bacterium? I was always curious how much bacterium are actually in someone with lyme that has been going on for a while.
Posted by the3030club (Member # 21898) on :
quote:Originally posted by lymegal23: ...holy crap theres MILLIONS of lyme bacterium? I was always curious how much bacterium are actually in someone with lyme that has been going on for a while.
That was just an educated guess. but i wouldn't be surprised if it were even billions. Bacteria are small.
Posted by the3030club (Member # 21898) on :
it's prob more like hundreds of trillions.
Posted by BoxerMom (Member # 25251) on :
Geez. No wonder this takes so long.
Posted by lymegal23 (Member # 28573) on :
I see. so the lyme bacteria is always reproducing. so I guess my question is why do people say something "big" happens every 3-5 weeks with the bacteria. what exactly happens?
Posted by nefferdun (Member # 20157) on :
Good question! I have tried to understand it myself. It takes the spirrochete 12-14 hours to complete the division process. It does not divide every 12 hours. This is a longer period of time than most bacteria which divide much more rapidly.
Some antibiotics only kill during the division process. They are called bacteristatic - not correct spelling. When abx kill the undividing bacteria they are bactericidal. Some abx become bactericidal at very high doses.
The confusing part is that the bacteria do not reproduce constantly every 14 hours. There is a prime time for reproduction which is about every 4 weeks. I don't know what this is.
Maybe it is connected to natural cycle because for me my flares were always with the full moons. But you would think if the majority of the bacteria were most active during these phases why not just take the abx during that time? Why overwhelm my body with continual abx?
That would also allow the cysts to emerge so that they are easier to kill.
Some of my questions. What is the natural life span of the spirochete? I know it can go into a cyst state where it can lie dormant for years, maybe even decades - like a seed. But when it is active, how long will it live?
How many times does it divide during it's life cycle? Maybe I just don't understand these things at all and they never die - they just divide and divide so two new ones emerge from the old one.
It sure would be easier to fight these things if we knew more about them.
Posted by lymegal23 (Member # 28573) on :
^ I completley agree with you you brought up some good posts
Hopefully somemore people will come along and know more answers for us on these boards
Posted by DoctorLuddite (Member # 13853) on :
The science of antibiotics is complex, Some antibiotics kill bactera, others only halt certain functions, rendering the bacteria inert. Penicillins and their close cousins, the cephalosporins are cell wall inhibitors, that is, they prevent bacteria from constantly renewing their cell wall, which causes the bacteria to essentially fall apart. Antibiotics like macrolides (erythromycin, streptomycin and others) inhibit one of the ribosomal subunits of bacteria, preventing the synthesis of substrates that that bacteria makes and needs to survive. You can take all the antibiotics in the world, but if your immune system can't kill bacteria on its own, you will always be sick.
Posted by lymegal23 (Member # 28573) on :
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